2:1 In prayer Hannah said,

“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
my horn¹ is exalted high in the LORD.
My mouth opens wide in denouncing my enemies,
for I am happy over your deliverance.
2:2 No one is holy like the LORD;
there is no one other than you;
There is no rock² like our God.
2:3 Don’t go on speaking so arrogantly,
letting proud talk proceed from your mouth.
For the LORD is a God of knowledge;
He³ evaluates human actions.
2:4 The bows of warriors are shattered,
but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.
2:5 Those who are well-fed hire themselves out for food,
but the hungry no longer lack.
Even⁴ the barren woman gives birth to seven,⁵
but the one with lots of children languishes.
2:6 It is the LORD who both puts to death and gives life;
he both brings down to the grave and brings up.
2:7 The LORD both impoverishes and makes wealthy;
he both humbles and exalts.
2:8 He lifts the weak from the dust;
he raises the poor from the ash heap
to seat them with princes
and to bestow on them a honored position.⁶
The foundations of the earth belong to the LORD,
and he has placed the world on them.
2:9 He protects the feet of his holy ones;⁷
but the wicked will be rendered speechless in the darkness,
for it is not by his own strength that one is made strong.
2:10 The LORD will shatter his adversaries;⁸
he will thunder forth against them in the heavens.
The LORD will execute judgment to the ends of the earth;
but he will strengthen his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed one.”⁹

2:11 Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah. But the boy was serving the LORD under the supervision of¹⁰ Eli the priest.

2:12 The sons of Eli were worthless individuals. They did not know the LORD. 2:13 Now the priests had a habit with the people such that whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork¹¹ in his hand. 2:14 He would put it in the basin, kettle, caldron, or pot, and everything that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all Israel when they came there to Shiloh.

2:15 Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s attendant would come and say to the person who was making the sacrifice, “Give some flesh to the priest to roast. He won’t take boiled flesh from you, but only uncooked.”¹² 2:16 If the individual said to him, “First let the fat be burned away, and then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say, “No!¹³ Give it right now! If you don’t, I will take it forcibly!”

2:17 The sin of these young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for these men¹⁴ treated the LORD’s offering with contempt.

2:18 Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD. The boy was dressed in a linen ephod. 2:19 His mother used to make him a small robe and bring it up to him at regular intervals when she would go up with her husband to make the annual sacrifice. 2:20 And Eli used to bless Elkanah and his wife saying, “May the LORD raise up for you descendants¹⁵ from this woman to replace the one that she¹⁶ dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go to their¹⁷ home. 2:21 So the LORD graciously attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up at the LORD’s sanctuary.¹⁸

2:22 Now Eli was very old when he heard about everything that his sons used to do to all Israel and how they used to have sex with¹⁹ the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 2:23 He said to them, “Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all these²⁰ people. 2:24 No, my sons! For the report that I hear passing through the LORD’s people is not good. 2:25 If a man sins against a man, God may be entreated in his behalf. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will then pray for him?” But they would not listen to their father, for the LORD had decided to kill them.

2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the LORD and with men.

2:27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Is it not the case that I plainly revealed myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh? 2:28 I chose him²¹ from all the tribes of Israel to be for me a priest to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear the ephod before me. I gave to the house of your father all the fire offerings made by the Israelites. 2:29 Why are you²² scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling? You have honored your sons more than you have me in that you have made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’

2:30 Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever.’ But now the LORD says, ‘May it be far removed from me! For it is those who honor me that I will honor, but those who despise me will be cursed! 2:31 In fact days are coming that I will remove your strength²³ and the strength of your father’s house. An old man will not be left in your house! 2:32 You will gaze on distress in my habitation. There will be good with Israel, to be sure. But an old man will not be left in your²⁴ house for all time. 2:33 And the man that I do not cut off from my altar will cause your²⁵ eyes to fail due to weeping and will cause grief for your life. All of those who are born to²⁶ your family will die as mature men.²⁷

2:34 And this will be for you as a sign that will come on your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die! 2:35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a faithful house, and he will walk before my anointed one for all time. 2:36 Everyone who remains of your house will come to bow before him for a payment of money and for a piece of bread. He will say, ‘Assign me to a priestly function so that I can eat a piece of bread.’”